To me the Krampus is a bit like a 650b…

Only that is more like a 32er 😉
…but I know what you mean!

I can see that people get enthusiastic about the Krampus (agile, fun, float, but not fat bike fat) only to find out that it is still a relative barge. Maybe.

That’s why I am tinkering with fat-tyred Solaris in parallel.

Pheeeew!

@oxym0r0n:
what 2.25 tyres are you running?
“2.25rr” = Racing Ralphs?

Thanks!

Many thanks, Coastkid – very inspiring!

I guess rebound and squirmy steering were the things I was worried about without really knowing. So it’s good to hear that these things arn’t a major issue with the “29Plus” format.

I went from 2.0/2.1 tyres to 2.35/2.4 tyres on my 26″ hardtail about a year ago and never looked back: love the float over rough stuff, love the confidence that comes from the added “suspension” while still riding a hardtail in that – you mentioned it – “make full suspension bikes look a bit silly”-way.

On a nostalgic note: I assume that to a certain degree riding a Krampus could feel like riding a Mountain Bike for the first time in the late 80s. If you know what I mean.

Gore Windstopper Vest when it was still made out of silent material
(not the swishy ones currently offered)

Specialized Trail 110 boots

and…

Mint Sauce merchandise

Update:
Did Pass’Portes du Soleil on my hardtail. Couldn’t be bothered to test full suspension there. But took away a very clear steer that it’s worth going for something further afield from my hardtail. Because my hardtail is that good. And because the other bike needs to be substantially different to make any sense at all.

More negative travel suddenly makes a lot of sense after this kind of territory.

P.S.:

Berm delirium on film from last year:

Update:
– didn’t crash -> armour not tested 🙂
– should’ve armoured bike though -> patch of rubbed down paint on upper right chainstay 😐
– no issue with stones being shot at shins here -> maybe was too slow 😉

– fit of POC knee-pads and evoc back-pack excellent, no complaints
– should’ve brung longer/wider shorts than Endura Singletrack, caused some chuffing between lower leg seam and upper knee-pad edge

– Sunday didn’t rain but still quite muddy at places
– Monday better plus no queues
– great fun both days
– still suffer from berms delirium 😀
– and brake bump shock 😡

————————————————————–

The event is very tame… more like fire roads.

You surely have to be kidding? I mean, “tame” is relative and if that was very tame by your standards then kudos to you. No really, BUT “More like fire roads”??? Are you sure you did the whole loop?
The Serpentine berms are more like fire roads? If the fire roads in your area are as 3-dimensional as this share the secret and we will all come along and indulge.
The rooty bit through the woods to Morzine is more like fire roads?
The boulders hiding in the mud were like a fire road?
Did you do the DH bits?

😆

Update:
got myself POC Joint VPD 2.0 knee-protectors and an Evoc FR Enduro back-pack with protection. Both had the best initial fit.
Shins were too far off what I would normaly ride. Will stuff some papers into my socks if stone-chips get too bad. :O)
Upper body stuff too bulky or useless. :-/

I. Will. Better. Ride. Sensibly.

Off to Les Crosets in a couple of hours. :-))

Sounds like I will enjoy myself whichever degree of armour I choose! 🙂
I’ll keep you posted.

Ta’!

Pheeww! Many thanks for all the replies! 🙂
I hear shins a lot. That wasn’t on my radar. It is now. Thx!

Nobody mentioned back-packs with integrated protection?!

For the tyres: Minion 2.35/Ardent 2.4 should do (foldable, exo), should’t they?

Many thanks!

Yes, proper tools in the car for the Alps.

I was most interested in what to take if you don’t want to be stuck during a day-trip. So Spokey, spare spokes and chain link all sound like good advise.

Cheers!

Brief update for those who still care:
– rented a Giant One-Forty 800 during holiday trip
(old model with simple pivot layout, new ones seem to have some sort of VPP)
– liked it a lot for its “no-nonsense-just-works-and-doesn’t-annoy-me” way of dealing with things
– suspension firmed up uphill, liked that
– didn’t make me want FS but didn’t put me off either

Maybe more interesting:
Punta Ala in Tuscany is a good place to combine bike and beach holiday with the family.

1988/89 Wheeler 3500
-> 1st bike and most emotional (long chainstays, high toptube, slack HA, short stem, funky Exage Trail shifters)

1990 Trek 8000
-> cool at the time with fat rigid forks an sprinkled black on white colour scheme, but still makes me avoid aluminium frames (harsh)

1992 Breezer Storm
-> most desirable, nice ride, but not great

1994 DEER KB-1 -> my own project
-> pretty much perfect then

2011 Inbred29
-> too small frame size, might have stayed, loved the looks

2012 Soul
-> my best bike

hen’s teeth though…

Nimble9! Nimble9!
How is it? Nimble?!!! :-))
Recommended?

Hi Takisawa,

nice bike! The big hit vs. trail buzz things makes sense.

As you suggested in the other thread I have post-poned the FS decision until I have more test-rides under my belt but am already thinking into the 29er Rigid Trail bike direction. 😉

Cheers!
hock

Mibbe ot the best pic of the bike

Maybe disguises the proportions a tiny bit. 😉

@khani: that’s what I call a bike with stance!
Very nice! Is that a Large?

that sounds like “more direct” to me which would suggest it’s stiffer
which is hardly surprising by the looks of it

feel much better

“Feel” like stiffer and/or more compliant?

Can’t imagine them being compliant though, but wouldn’t want to judge a fork by its chunky blades, would I? 😉

I would love a 15mm maxle version, just because!

me too! 🙂 If I don’t like the On Ones and/or break them. (Likely that I won’t like them anymore if I manage to break them…)

Coincidentally I have Crests already! 🙂

OK, this is the plan: I will stick to the On One Carbon forks for the time being. I will make use of the lovely Hope/Crest wheelset that I kept for some reason during my current 26-only time, bits and bobs for cockpit and gears are more or less at hand, either in boxes or on rarely used 2nd bikes. I reckon 1×8 with a nice old Shimano 105er derailleur and Deore DX thumbshifters should do initially. Brakes will be Shimano whatever comes along at a good deal. Done! 🙂

Oh, the frame. I’m afraid, but I think in the end it’s going to be a Solaris. Could be a Nimble9, but they are so rare 2nd hand. A blue Solaris would be good. Medium for nimble handling at 5.11″ rider height?!

Ideally, everything would be proportional

And that’s probably what is mostly done anyway:
– geometry often varies slightly with frame size
– some companies use additional gussets etc. for bigger frame sizes
– taller people will tend to use frames and forks with more travel and vice versa
– control points can be adjusted (e.g. lever reach)
– tyre pressure is adjusted to personal preference and that includes weight
– the same is true for fork and damper settings
– we have mentioned stems, but grips, handlebars, even saddles qualify, too(different width)
– a few people will use longer or shorter crankarms than the standard 175mm

Thus questioning 26″ as the only wheelsize and even thinking about serveral sizes to suit different body-sizes suddenly makes a lot more sense, doesn’t it?

Anyway: what about bigger front than rear wheel? Any experience?

On-one -Comfy/Lightish/Bloody Strong (I’m 90kg and have done things to it no fork should be subjected to)

well, that would certainly be the most convenient route as I have one in my basement 🙂

Back on my hardtail after my failed 1st attempt to fall in love with full-suspension:
oh the joys of snappy acceleration, clear flow of trail information, direct response and playful agility! 🙂
Makes you feel like a rider not a passenger.

A couple of bike events later this year will give me more opportunity to test more bounce, friends offered test rides on a Rocket and a Demo ( 😯 ) -> I’ll keep you posted.

Meanwhile in a parallel universe I ordered some nice Velvets to give the Soul a stiffer front end.

thx, will do!

yep, Bionicon and/or Golden Willow get’s mixed reviews
I think this example had weak damping on top of it
I am not going to judge FS by that experience and will keep test riding
not so much in the next weeks, though
will update as soon as I have new insights 🙂

after a winter of mud, slop, snow, more snow, slop, mud the Mud X have proven to be a really good choice
they grip well in the deep stuff and if they let go it’s in a controlled manner
at the same time they are not scary on hardpack or tarmac

Thx again for the advise here! 🙂

another/last test ride with the Golden Willow:
– how can I tell whether it’s the set-up, suspension hardware or the bike itself that’s wrong?
– I even switched to my usual tyres to make things comparable…
– how can I tell within even an extended test ride if FS and/or a bike is right for me when others need many years and bikes to find their ideal bike?
– if I need to adjust to a new riding style in order to appreciate a different kind of bike how can I achieve that within the limits of a test ride?

I can’t… test rides are not always THAT helpful…
Recommend me stiff and light 100-130 travel adjust forks for a Soul please… 😐

P.S.:

analysis paralysis

mental masturbation

let me guess: you are a trick cyclist by profession?!

It has taken me 3 years and probably 11-12 frames to really find what I like in a bike.

Really??? That’s not exactly best practice, is it?
You should have asked the forums instead! 😉

ddmonkey: Its taken me 10 years to really refine my idea of what it is I want in a bike, and I’ve tried quite a few in that time.

🙂 not sure if I find your comment comforting (I’m not alone in not knowing initially what I exactly want in a (2nd) bike) or scary (the decision making process might take longer)

Spearfish and Horsethief are interesting indeed and certainly fit the “like a hardtail” approach.

Maybe an explanation for those who are a little impatient with me still pondering the decision:
– the first time I thought about buying a 2nd bike is one week ago
– until then I had only a very superficial interest in FS bikes
– I only managed to get one test bike arranged since then
– yes, I intend to do more test riding
– I am in no rush

kudos100: analysis paralysis

that is a great term! And I recognise myself to a certain degree. I just don’t feel paralysed at all.
My approach might be analytic (or not), but just because I havn’t made up my mind yet and bought a bike within a week doesn’t really qualify as paralysed, does it?

A similar process incl. reading in this very forum has led me to buy my current bike and I am very, very happy with it. And I didn’t even make use of drugs and darts then.

Hi Kudos,

please accept my apologies for not having progressed any further with this topic so far!

And thank you for your help: I will now consider using drugs and darts to make up my mind.

Sorry again for any inconvenience on your side.

Regards
hock

The confidence you get from a full sus bike can really push on your skills though.

Those are the statements which motivate me to get out of my “never change a winning team”-comfort-zone. 🙂

nickc: I suspect we’re not that different

yep! 🙂 front end bite essential, comfort not

NormalMan: Spesh Camber 29er

Thanks! I heard that Cambers are a little long in the chainstay?! If 29/FS it would be Whyte 109/129 or Superlight right now. But I am more inclined to stick with 26 for an FS.

BadlyWiredDog: I’m not sure I understand why you want a full suspension bike and I’m not sure you do either.

that’s quite right and one of the reasons I am asking people if and what difference it made for them to move from HT to FS

Go 29er. Or rigid. Or singlespeed. Or all three.

I had a rigid Inbred29 SS before the Soul. The Sould was initially SS, had rigids and then adjustable travel Talas before I happily settled for 100mm and gears. It’s my perfect 1st do-it-all bike.

Now I am looking for my perfect 2nd do-it-all bike. Not (mainly) because of consumerism but to have a back-up bike, to have a change, to broaden my horizon, to evolve as a biker, to satisfy my curiosity.

As mentioned it should be different enough but not too far away from what I want from a bike. A slack DH barge would be very different but I wouldn’t be able to exploit it (lack of talent, risk taking, terrain), wouldn’t ride it = waste of time and money. A 29er HT on the other hand might be too close to the Soul. Still an option if I can’t bring myself to invest into FS though. Or a new Soul with more aggro tapered/through axle/dropper post spec. :-/ 🙂

jambalaya: always interesting to hear how the story progresses

thanks! 🙂

As mentioned before asking a forum can only tell so much, BUT in the cold light of day I do not have infinite chances to test ride all the bikes on offer. Apart from the rare and/or sold out ones. The forum can help to narrow things down a bit. Combined with test rides and best guessing on my behalf I increase my chances to make an as informed choice as possible. That’s all I want really. (And that’s what has worked perfectly for me before by the way!)

Thanks to all for helping with that! 🙂

I’m off for another ride with the Golden Willow tomorrow (extended test ride period). Hope trails dry a bit. Will try the more gnarly bits around here. Will try a slightly different set-up, too.

Cheers!

hock

Current short-list in no particular order:
– SC Blur
– SC Superlight (26 and 29)
– Anthem (26)
– Whyte 109/129
– Rocket
– Solaris
– new Soul
– Nukeproof Mega (new entry)

Not really, want it too behave like a hard tail ( tight, fast light) want the extra grip of rear suss, but I don’t want the rear suss to get in the way when I don’t need it. Not silly, very serious

@nickc: exactly! 🙂

Then again I don’t know what I don’t know. Maybe I would happily adjust to full squish if I had a little time to understand and experience the benefits. But for the time being: what nickc said!

Cheers!

hock

Went out for another brief test ride on almost dry, flat singletrack. Definitely terrain that doesn’t need a FS bike. While this is my preferred terrain, it’s a bit of a shame that I didn’t have the chance yet to test it on rougher stuff.

Locked out rear damper and the bike felt right: more agile, more positive feedback, less irritating geometry/position changes. BUT even with the rear damper locked it still encouraged to jump more than my hardtail because the rear would still allow for some give in the rear on harder impact.

Which leads me to 2 conclusions:

1) I obviously like my hardtails. Main benefit of a FS bike accessible to me so far seems to be the safety net effect when jumping/landing. This could suggest a FS bike that behaves like a hardtail most of the time. I know that you can tune the damper to achieve that behaviour but while I have the chance to buy a bike I would rather choose one that’s inclined to a more HT behaviour anyway.

– the Commencal Meta 4X has been suggested, but I am not sure about it’s everyday-do-it-all-qualities.
– the SC Superlight seems to fit the bill (just read an older long-term test by Steve Worland in WMTB).
– Scalpels, Epics and Genius have been suggested: will they be fun and trail-“smart” in a Soul way?
– are there others that would fit the “HT with safety-net” bill?
– Anthem anybody? in the end I might buy one despite brand reservations…
– the short-travel Cotic Rocket creeps in again, too…

2) So while I could settle for a FS that actually mimics a HT I should probably still try to test a FS bike in more appropriate conditions that might show me whether I might like to ride something new and different etc. rather than reduce a FS to a HT with safety-net. I will try to rent a FS bike at a bike park, in the Alps etc.

While this process will probably take a little more time the Soul will see some LTC and a new stiffer fork, maybe through-axle.

First ride on full-suspenson today, usual loop, but very muddy so don’t know how much that dilutes the experience.

Initial thoughts:
– it encourages a non-jumper to jump more
– a lot of bulk and faff (weight not so much, but things to adjust, things that move, things that isolate you from what’s going on)
– stayed in uphill position a lot because it felt natural and right
– downhill position sacrifices front-end bite due to weight being shifted to the rear

Not sold to the idea of FS yet, but will keep trying to like it.
Definitely not ready yet to spend any money on it!

Cheers!

hock

Quick update:
only got one test-bike arranged but it stays with me for the whole weekend and might provide a pretty comprehensive full-suspension experience as it is a Bionicon Golden Willow:
– integrated travel adjustability from 2.8-5.5 upfront(rear stay at 4.7in)
– according headangle range from 74° to 67° and everything inbetween
– apart from that classic 4-bar with chainstay joint

I will try to get the most out of it!

true, but as I don’t like the idea of the single pivot swingarm concept and superficially grasp the benefits of multi-link systems it tickles my technical curiosity to at least start to understand the differences 🙂